*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on WTTW. More than 5 million underage Americans report binge drinking at least once a month, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The NIAAA says it is a “serious health problem” for underage drinkers and poses a range of risks and negative consequences…
The Story of the Ugliest Christmas Tree In our first year of marriage, I was still finishing up my education degree while my husband worked for a church as a youth pastor. We were poor. Even when we dug under the couch cushions for loose change (which we frequently did), we barely had enough to…
This morning, I logged on to my Google News Feed and checked out the stories that came up with the key words “Teen,” “Teenager,” “Adolescent,” and “Adolescence.” Sadly, the news that pops up is usually less than positive. Today, however, it was even worse than that. Here’s a sampling of the headlines that caught my…
*The following is excerpted from an online article posted on PsychCentral. New research suggests there is more to helping kids become successful than pushing them to be involved in a multitude of activities and to score at the top of their class. In short, being a Tiger mom may be a little short-sighted. The Arizona…
Every year it’s the same hopeful mantra… This year, Christmas is going to be different—I’m going to find a way to slow down and focus on “the reason for the season.” I’ll find the time to really focus on Jesus… And then, with a determined face, we work hard to make it happen. And we…
Splink 1: Baptism Example This week’s lesson was about Jesus’ baptism. Share a simple object lesson and then talk about your own baptism. (How old were you? What it meant to you. Show them your baptismal certificate or a picture of your baptism, if available.) Hold up a wedding ring and ask: What does…
So you probably think you would be a much better parent if you had more hours in the day, don’t you? Bummer that life doesn’t work that way. When you have another child, it’s not like someone shows up and magically hands you another 4 hours a day. Nope, now you have to manage 100%…
Note: We’re doing a 4-week Advent (challenge) to center on Jesus. Learn more and join us here. You’ve heard all the cliches before. You’ve maybe even spoken some of them. “Jesus is the reason for the season.” “Let’s keep Christ in Christmas.” And so on. This isn’t your first…
Talking to teachers isn’t always easy. While I’ve had the honor of meeting with some awesome teachers to have amazing conversations about how well my kids are doing in school, I’ve also endured some really challenging meetings. The last couple of years have been dotted with a lot of the latter as my oldest…
I was browsing Christmas gift ideas the other day and came across this plain white tshirt for $110. Normally my first reaction to a price tag like that for something as simple as a tshirt is “Yeah-right.” But then I read that this shirt was sewn by an ex-con who learned how to sew…